Rotary steam-engine



UNlTED f STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID L. GROSS, `OF AUSTIN, TEXAS.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,558, dated July 19, 1881.

Application tiled April l7, 1881. (No model.) i

To all whom fit. may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID L. CROSS, a citiv zen of the United States, residing at Austin,

inthe county of Travis and State of Texas, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Rotary VSteam-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in -the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference bein g had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters or iigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specifica- A these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation ofan engine, showing a base upon, which the parts rest, the cylinder in Which the pistons move, an eccentric for movingthe valves, a slide and arm for communicating 'motion to the valves, and one of the steam-chests. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line x .r of Fig. l, showing the main or driving shaft, therevolvng head, the abutments for the steam lto press against, the sliding pistons, the steam-chests, theA passages for the steam, and the valves, together with the mechanism which moves them. Fig. 3 is a transverse section ou line y y of Fig. 2, showing the revolving head, one of the sliding pistons, a guard for operating the piston, a spring for forcing the piston into the head, the steamabutment, and induction and eduction openings. Fig. 4 is an eleva-tion on line z z of Fig. 3, showing the valves, the steam-chests, and the 'steam-passages; and Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view, showing one of the valves and a portion of the shaft towhich it is secured.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several ligures.

In constructing engines of this type I provide a base, A, of the required dimensions and ot' the form req uird for supporting the parts of the engine. Upon the baseAthereis placed a seat, A', in which are formed induction and eduction passages for steam. This seat may be separate from the cylinder A2, or it may constitute a part thereof, as preferred, it being shown asa part of said cjlinder. The cylinder A2, just referred to, ma)y be of any desired diameter and length, and be provided with suitable heads, as shown, its proportions varying as the power to be derived from it is greater or less.

Within the cylinder' A2 there is placed a revolving head, B, the central and end portions of which are of suchdia-meter as to canse them to iit handsoinelythe interior of the cylinder.

Between the central portion, B', and the outer portions, B2 and B3, annular grooves or recesses B4 are foi-nud, which may lbe of any desired depth, they forming the spaces-in which the steam acts upon the sliding pistons B5 and B6, said pistons moving inward and outward in radial recesses formed in the head B, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This head is carried upon a shaft, B7, which passes'through the center otl cylinderA, and has one of its ends supported in a standard, B8, which may rest upon the base of the engine or upon anyother suitable snpport,its opposite end being supported by a similar standard and revolving in a plate, B2,on the opposite end of the machine'.

The grooves or recesses B4 of the cylinder areeach provided in their lower portions with Vabutments() C', the sliding pistons B5 and B6 being so arranged that when either piston is passing its abutment the other one is opposite its abutment. Y.

For the purpose of causing the pistons to be forced into the revolving head at the time when they are passing the abutments they are each provided upon one of their edges with a roller, G2, which, just before thepiston reaches the abutment, comes in contact with a curved surface formed on a guard, G3, the effect of which is to cause the pistons to recede into the revolving head and allow them to pass the abutment Without comingin contact therewith, after which they are again forced out into contact with the cylinder by means of the coiled springs C4, one of the ends of which is secured IOO to the hub of the revolving head and the other made to rest against a shoulder formed on the sliding pistons; or the pistons may be forced into the heads by the abutments themselves in the usual manner, said abutments being made with beveled or sloping ends for that purpose.

Und ern eath the cylinder A there are arranged two valves, D and D', they being mounted upon and moved by a shaft, D2, one end of which extends out through one of the steamehests and carries upon its outer end an arm, D5, for a purpose soon to be described. rlhese valves are circular in form, and have in their inner faces steam-passages, as shown in Fig.5, their oice being to reverse the movements of the revolving head and its pistons, and thus enable the operator to ca'use said headfto re- .volvc in either direction, as desired, and at the saine time control the ingress and egress of steam to the cylinder. The movements of these valves are controlled by an eccentric, E, carried upon the shaft B7 and located outside of the cylinder A, as shown in Fig. 2.

For the purpose of communicating the requisite movement to the valves there is provided a sliding plate, E', which is used in connection with the eccentric E, it being supported by and moving in guides E2 and E3, which are secured to the head of the cylinder A. This plate has upon its inner face two projections, E4, which bear upon theperiphery of the eccentric, and thus cause a reciprocating movement of said plate as the eccentric is revolved. The plate is extended downward, as shown in Fig. l, and has formed in it three slots, E5,E"`, and E7, into which there enters a pin or stud, F, carried upon the arm D3, it being held in its innermost position by a spring, F, arranged upon the arm.

For the purpose of withdrawing the pin so as to place it in another slot there is attached to the outer surface of arm D3` a stand, F2, of -any suitable construction, to which is pivoted a bell-crank lever, F7, the inner or upper arm ot' which is made to grasp the piu or stud F, so that by prcssin gdown upon the horizontal arm said pin or stud will be withdrawn from the plateand may be placedin theopposite outward slot, the eit'ect of which will be to reverse the movements of the revolving head,'or, in other words, to cause it to revolve in the opposite direction from that in which it did when the pin was in the position shown in Fig. 1.

If it is desired to prevent steam from entering the cylinder, it can be done by placing the stud or pin F in the central slot E, when the valves will cover the passages and prevent the entrance of steam thereto.

Outside ofthe valves there are formed steamchests G and G', into which steam enters through passages G2 and G3, as indicated in Fig. 4, and from which it passes through the passages G4 in the valves and a passage, G5, in the base ot' the cylinder to the grooves or recesses formed in the revolving head, as indicated by the left-hand arrow in Fig. 3, it followingthepistonsin their movements throughout an entire revolution thereof, except just at the time when they are passing the abutments C C', when it passes out through the opening, as indicated by the right-hand arrow in Fig. 3, it passing on its way out through the segmental opening G7 in the valves D.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Paten t, is

l. In a rotary engine, the slidiil'g plate E', provided with a bearing-surface for the eccentric to act upon and with slots for the purpose of receiving a pin, in combination with the arm D7 and locking and unlocking device, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination ot' the arm D, carrying upon its outer face the locking and unlocking device, the plate E', and the operating-valves, the arrangement of the parts being substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the disk-valves D D', the shaft D2, the arm D3, the slide E', and the eccentric E, the parts being arranged for `joint operation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence ot' two witnesses.

DAVID L. CROSS. Witnesses:

J. W. STALWAKER, THAD. A. THOMSON. 

